TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team resumes Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Eastern Michigan.
First pitch for Friday's opener is set for 6:00 p.m. Saturday's game will begin at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is set to start at 1:00 p.m. All three games will be streamed live via EMU's Eagle All-Access.
Halfway through MAC play, Toledo sits in seventh place but just 1.5 games out of fifth place and within striking distance of fourth place. UT will face the teams sitting in fourth through sixth place over the coming weeks, providing plenty of opportunities to move up the standings.
Last Time Out
Toledo defeated Michigan on Wednesday, 10-7, for its first win over the Wolverines since 2012.
A pair of home runs for the Wolverines gave them a 6-1 lead through the first three innings, but once the Rockets got settled at the plate they feasted on UM pitching.
Toledo scored two runs in the top of the fifth, four in the top of the sixth, and three in the top of the seventh to muscle its way to the win. UT also had terrific outings out of the bullpen to keep the Michigan bats at bay for the rest of the game and hold on for the win.
Rocket Notes
- Wednesday's win at Michigan marked the second straight season Toledo has defeated a Big Ten program. The Rockets won at Ohio State last season.
- Jeron Williams leads the nation with 34 stolen bases, two away from tying the single-season school record of 36 set in 2013 by Tyler Grogg.
- Williams has stolen 15 bases over his last eight games.
- Mason Sykes is inching close to becoming the program's all-time career home run leader. His 34 career home runs are tied for second all-time in school history and are just one away from tying Dan Sherwood's (2008-11) school record of 35 career home runs.
- As a team, the Rockets have hit a MAC-best 61 home runs this year. That total ranks 22nd in the nation and is four away from tying the program's single-season record set in 2002.
- This is the fifth time in school history that UT has hit at least 60 home runs in a season and the third straight year it has reached that benchmark.
- Troy Sudbrook has reached base in each of the last 16 games, the longest active streak on the team.
- Brennan McCune has turned in four straight scoreless outings out of the bullpen and notched his second save of the season on Wednesday at Michigan.
Battle of I-75 at Fifth Third Field: Part III
For the third straight year, the Toledo and Bowling Green baseball programs will face off at Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo. The Rockets and Falcons will play at the home of the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Toledo and BGSU have each won one meeting at Fifth Third Field. The Rockets won the first game, 5-2, in 2021 before the Falcons won, 5-4, in 2022.
This year's Battle of I-75 matchup will be the second game in a three-game Mid-American Conference series between the two rivals. Toledo and Bowling Green will open their series at Scott Park on Thursday, May 18 and conclude on Saturday, May 20.
Tickets are on sale now through the Toledo Mud Hens Ticket Office. Visit utrockets.com/FifthThirdField to purchase tickets.
About Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is 16-19 entering play this weekend with a 6-12 record in conference play. The Eagles have lost four in a row and have dropped their last four MAC series. Eastern Michigan boasts two of the top run producers in the MAC in Josh Kross (44 RBIs) and Taylor Hopkins (35 RBIs). On the mound, Luke Russo ranks second in the league in strikeouts (65) and is holding opponents to a .206 batting average, which ranks third in the league.
Next Up
Toledo visits Dayton on Tuesday, April 25 before returning home to host Bowling Green in non-conference action on Wednesday, April 26 and Western Michigan next weekend.
